Tuskegee Airman veterans to be honored on Hornet

The USS Hornet Museum will honor two local Bay Area World War II Tuskegee Airmen veterans during its Living Ship Day Saturday, March 15.

The special presentation begins at 1 p.m. and will be followed by a "meet and greet" aboard the ship, which is docked at 707 West Hornet Ave., Alameda.

The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African-American pilots to fly for the military in World War II.

Guest speakers include Lt. Burl Smith who trained in the Fighter Program for P-51 and Sgt. Clyde Grimes who served in the intelligence bureau. Both live in Oakland.

Historian Dave Cunningham will also lead a panel discussion. His father, John O. Cunningham, was a Tuskegee Airman. The son serves as the Bay Area's Tuskegee Airmen Chapter president.

Other Tuskegee veterans will be given complimentary admission to the museum that day.

As part of Living Ship Day, the ship will be open 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and includes flight simulations, chance to meet former crew members and sit in the cockpit of a fighter jet. The Hornet Band will also play.